Other winners include Prostate Cancer UK, which took both Brand Development and Communications Campaign

Baroness Jill Pitkeathley

Baroness Jill Pitkeathley was honoured last night with the Luke FitzHerbert Lifetime Achievement award for her tireless work in the social care sector and unwavering support for the voluntary sector in the House of Lords.

Other notable winners at the Third Sector Excellence Awards included Prostate Cancer UK, which won both Brand Development and Communications Campaign following its rebranding from Prostate Cancer Charity in 2012.

The awards, which recognise the outstanding work carried out by charities, not-for-profit organisations and their partners, were presented at a black-tie dinner attended by more than 400 guests at the Grand Connaught Rooms in London. The writer and broadcaster Jon Holmes hosted the evening.

Other winners included Riders for Health, which won the Big Impact award for its motorcycle courier service, which cuts the time that patients wait for crucial medical test results in parts of southern Africa, and the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, which won Use of Digital Media for its animated film The Lonely Dodo, which highlights some of the species in danger of extinction.

Individual award winners on the night included Pitkeathley, Elanor Hoskin of the children’s charity Chicks, who won the new award of Rising Chief Executive, and James Middleton of the drug and alcohol support charity Phoenix Futures, who was named Volunteer of the Year. Middleton was addicted to drugs for 20 years but has since turned his life around and now supports other people to overcome addiction and other problems.

Stephen Cook, editor of Third Sector, said this year’s award winners included a strong showing from well-known charities working in mainstream causes.

"But we have seen a higher than usual proportion of prizes for less well-known charities working on behalf of people who are disadvantaged and marginalised," he said. "Eleven of the 19 winners are not household names and eight are people or organisations working in less popular causes."